Good Morning Britain turned heated on Monday morning over a discussion on migrant crossings and the Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
The ITV morning programme was hosted by Ed Balls and Susanna Reid, who presided over the debate alongside journalists Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire.
Albanian professor Lea Ypi appeared in the studio to respond to Ms Braverman's comments last week referring to asylum seekers entering the UK as an “invasion”, causing outrage.
Last week the Home Secretary doubled down on her language and also referred to “Albanian criminals” in Parliament, prompting the country’s Prime Minister Edi Rama to accuse her of “purely xenophobic” comments.
Lea Ypi subsequently became embroiled in a furious debate over the Home Secretary with Daily Mail journalist Andrew Pierce on the ITV early morning programme.
She told the ITV studio: “Albanians have been swallowing it for a very long time, because they’re very integrated. They’re very compliant with the community and they didn’t want to cause a fuss.”
She continued: “The problem is that when you have a country that begins to treat its minorities like this, they will all get angry.
“It's not just a problem about the Albanian community, it’s a problem about Britain. You begin to disintegrate the cultural project of integration if you start treating minorities like this.
“These are British citizens. The Albanians here are angry.”
Addressing Pierce, she added: “You said earlier Suella Braverman is popular,” to which he insisted she is as Ypi replied: “Well, I can tell you she is not popular among minorities.”
Speaking over one another, Pierce said: “She might not be. But we’ve got a Home Secretary that’s trying to get to grips with the migrant crisis.”
The Mirror’s Kevin Maguire weighed in saying: “She isn’t trusted anymore in the UK. Not as many people are buying her vile bigotry.”
Ypi continued to Pierce: “I don’t know who you mean about the British people – British people is a multicultural entity – she may be popular with a fragment.”
As the discussion was played off with the Good Morning Britain music, Pierce came back saying: “With respect, I disagree with you.”
ITV viewers at home took to Twitter to praise Ypi for her argument on the issue against Pierce, as one wrote: “Thank you for your contribution this morning on GMB you held your ground, speaking up for the British Albanian community against some of the nonsense from Andrew Pierce.”
Another wrote: “Ouch, Andrew Pierce just got absolutely mauled on immigration. About time too,” as another added: “Andrew Pierce getting schooled on GMB over immigration and it’s delicious.”
“Andrew Pierce saying Suella Braverman is popular? What a deluded start to the day!” another viewer of the programme wrote.
